Founded in Pleasant Grove more than 20 years ago, John Hancock Charter School says it prides itself on the ability to provide students with a unique educational experience.

The charter school’s second campus is slated to open in Eagle Mountain in August, located at 2890 N Scarlet Road, according to Principal Julie Adamic.

Adamic, who will be principal over both the Pleasant Grove and Eagle Mountain campuses, says she is excited to be a part of the Eagle Mountain community, citing local events the school will be participating in, such as Pony Express Days.

Unlike public schools operating under a school district, charter schools work directly with the state of Utah.

“We still have all the same accountability to the state…The difference is our school can make site-based decisions, whereas a district usually makes those decisions for traditional schools,” says Adamic.

While the Alpine School District board oversees 94 schools and more than 82,000 students, the John Hancock Charter board oversees only itself. This allows the school and the state to create a more customizable plan to meet the school’s needs and support its students, according to Adamic.

Like other public schools, charter schools do not have an admissions process. Instead, they are required by federal law to hold a lottery for student admissions when space is limited. Once the enrollment period is over, the school will randomly draw applicants using a computer program.

Adamic says the school held its lottery for the Eagle Mountain campus in January and is now accepting students for any open positions on a first come, first served basis.

John Hancock Charter School’s mission is to provide students with an “individualized educational model and a first-class system,” says Adamic.

The charter school’s Pleasant Grove location has a capacity of only 180 students. In Eagle Mountain, each elementary school will have a capacity of approximately 175 to 180 students according to Adamic, with 200 students at the junior high. The Alpine School District has an average school size of 877 students.

To provide a greater number of students with a small-classroom experience, Adamic says that the Eagle Mountain campus will be separated into “five small schools within a school.”

The campus will have four elementary schools for grades K-6, and one middle school for 7th and 8th-graders.

“It creates a safe environment where they’re allowed to try new things, make mistakes, pick themselves up and do it again,” says Adamic. “It’s all about relationships.”

Openings are still available for the middle school, and Adamic encourages parents of younger children to get on the waitlist, if they are interested by filling out an “Intent to Enroll” form at www.johnhancockcs.org.

The school will hold events for students to meet one another as the new school year grows closer.

John Hancock Charter School will be open for the first day of school on Aug. 15, 2023.

*Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article featured a misquote regarding faith-based decisions. The quote has been corrected to “site-based decisions.” John Hancock Charter School is not a religious school.